“This is a big blow for us,” de Jong today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I feel it’s kind of unfair to the fighters. They train hard. They put on exciting performances.”

Are the cuts related to the recent strife between Alistair Overeem and Zuffa?

De Jong can’t be sure.

“You tell me,” he said. “I have no idea, but it doesn’t look good. Of course, for us, it’s really bad. I’m very disappointed. What can I say?”

More confusing is the fact that the released fighters were at different points in their careers despite recent losses. Coenen lost her title this past Saturday in a bout with Miesha Tate, Einemo had just made his octagon debut at UFC 131 and won a “Fight of the Night” bonus for a rousing clash with Dave Herman, and Valentijn Overeem was submitted by punches at “Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum.”

While there’s no concrete timeline for releasing fighters who have recent losses, the swiftness and scope of the cuts came as a shock to de Jong. (Boon could not be reached for comment at the time of this writing.)

“Of course, they can cut them because they lost, but do you cut Alistair Overeem, who was very eager to fight in the (Strikeforce heavyweight) grand prix, and who got major injuries?” de Jong asked. “Einemo just received a ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus in his last UFC appearance. Coenen … two times (has) been the Strikeforce champion. And before Miesha beat her, I think they were even (on the scorecards) or [favoring] Marloes.”

As of this morning, de Jong had spoken only to Valentijn Overeem about the recent news.

While the trainer said Alistair Overeem is still set to appear on a United Glory fight card targeted for late October in Moscow, he is unsure whether any of the newly released fighters could follow suit. Although disappointed, he hopes a resolution still can be found.

“The only thing I can say is I feel disappointed for the fighters, and now we have to go back and see what we’re going to do (and) where we’re going to go,” de Jong said. “For me, I hope the management can still work something out with Zuffa.

“I think Alistair needs to fight the best fighters in the world, and I think right now there’s only two people ranked above him: Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos. Alistair only wants to be the best. It’s a pity.”

De Jong said it hasn’t been decided whether the former heavyweight champ will fight in MMA, kickboxing or boxing at the October event.

Alistair Overeem was stripped of the heavyweight title this past Friday and released from Strikeforce with little reason given by officials. Several sources close to the situation indicated to MMAjunkie.com that it partially resulted from a dispute over the renegotiation of the fighter’s contract going into the semifinal round of the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix, though Overeem representative Fabrice Deters on Sunday told SI.com he believed that wasn’t the case.

The now-former champ has stayed silent since his release, though an episode of his online web series, “The Reem,” surfaced on the day of his release. The video showed he has been suffering from a cracked rib, which hampered his preparation for an ill-fated appearance at the semifinals, which take place Sept. 10 in Cincinnati.

De Jong, meanwhile, is trying to figure out what happened.

“For me, it doesn’t make sense,” he said. “I was just thinking, ‘Is this the future of MMA?'”

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